Island-hopping around the Finnish archipelago

As I ease around the inlet into open water, the Archipelago Sea teasingly reveals its sweeping majesty framed by the smooth, tree-topped granite outcrops of the shoreline. Meanwhile, supercharged by the midsummer sun, the implausibly clear blue water twinkles as it dances off my kayak’s paddles.

Summer is a magical time in south-west Finland, the powerfully primal midnight sun urging you to get active outdoors and gorge on seasonal produce with the nature-loving locals. The sun hardly sets between May and August and, for those who venture north of the Arctic Circle, the sun does not set at all during those months, allowing plenty more time to enjoy the great outdoors.

As Andrea Godfrey, product manager at Regent Holidays, remarks: “Visitors can make the most of the extra hours of daylight to explore the pristine environments, wild forests and idyllic landscapes of rolling hills.”